Ghost Town
by 99vampiress
Summary: She was always bullied and targeted. He was ignored by everyone except those close. The town was seemingly deserted during the day. What happens? Read to find out! Ulquihime, OOC, AU


**Hey, People! This is my new Ulquihime story. It'll be way better than FTBH, so please stick around! I'm going to have better planning and longer chapters. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Sad face :( **

**Chapter 1: Stupid Decisions**

**(Orihime P.O.V)**

Someone stole my laundry. When I looked into the beat-up washing machine, I found nothing but the wet sides of the drum. Well, not nothing, because all that was there was the worst pair of underwear I owned and a sock.

"No," I said, and balanced myself on the washer to look into the dark interior. Getting a closer look didn't help. I was missing every piece of clothing I'd worn in the last two weeks.

I kicked the washer angrily in a dent already formed by previous disappointed students. I had some other clothes, but they were LAST CHOICE clothes.

I had about three hundred dollars left after the latest round of pizza and buying yet another book for my professor, who didn't seem to know yet what subject he was teaching. Tatsuki told this would happen; maybe it wasn't the best idea to leave Karakura Town.

But it also wouldn't be a good idea stay in Karakura Town either. I was constantly teased and it never stopped, following me everywhere except my own home. And worst of all, the one guy that I cared for the most loves my best friend, Rukia. I just couldn't take it. Every time I saw them together was shameful torture. Because all I was to him was a girl that constantly needs saving from the taunts, who could never stand up for herself.

So after we all finished high school, I decided to move far away so I could get away from the constant pain. I could start fresh again. The only one I told about the move was Tatsuki, as she was the only one who I could actually trust. The only person who could've cared. She told me things would get better, and that I should get help. Too late though, because I was already set on moving. Too late to go back now.

I threw myself into a chair, dumped my backpack on the floor, and put my head in my hands. My face was hot, I was trembling, and I was about to break into tears. But I stopped myself, because they'd hear.

Then I saw graffiti on the cinder-block wall above the machines. It read: _Dear dork, we found trash in the machines and threw it down the chute. If you want it, dive for it._

"Shit," I breathed, and had to blink back tears again. It seems that no matter where I go, there's always going to be someone to beat down on me.

Scarlett. Well her and the Scarlett Reds, anyway. That's seriously what they call themselves. Why did all the rich, mean girls, with all of Daddy's money, have to focus on me? Because I'd made Scarlett look stupid in front of her friends and some hot upperclassmen. It wasn't that hard. She had been saying that World War II had been "That dumbass Chinese war thing."

And by my stupid smart reflex, I'd said "It wasn't," and the whole lot of them stopped and stared at me with surprise that some small, foreign student had spoken up to the rich, popular girl. I didn't quite know what I'd gotten into, so I went on to explain myself, because they sure looked like they needed it. "I meant that it wasn't the Korean War. That happened later. World War II was Pearl Harbor."

And everyone looked at Scarlett and laughed, saying how she was so dumb. Though I was pretty sure none of them actually knew that, either.

Scarlett glared at me for a second with fury in her eyes. Then she goes back, recovering with flirting, and ceased to exist again for the guys. And as for the girls, I was still new and unwelcome as hell.

So here I was, stuck on the crappy top floor of a crappy dorm in a crappy school in the middle of nowhere. Remember how I couldn't bare to be in Karakura Town? That meant I also wouldn't be able to stand going to Karakura Community College, like everyone else. So I decided I'd go to America. But I was too late to apply and get in to the good schools, like Caltech, Yale, and Harvard. They all thought that being late was unprofessional. That's how it worked with every school I tried to get into until I stumbled upon this one. So I thought it wouldn't be bad because only half of the school was filled, and no one would really bother me. The college is on the outskirts of a ghost town. It's Texas Prairie University. The only school that would accept me. Because no one there had standards.

I was still sitting there, so upset because I had a plan, an actual plan! Scarlett slept late, so I'd gotten up extra early to do laundry while the party animals were in comas and the studious crowd was off to classes. I'd thought I could leave it for a few minutes to get a shower, and I'd never even thought about anyone doing something so low. Nothing to do now but try and get my stuff back. I grabbed my backpack and stuffed the wet pair of panties and the sock in the front pocket.

"Well," said a low, mean voice from the doorway. "If it isn't the Dumpster diver." I stopped. Something inside me told me to run, but I was done running. I wanted to fight. I turned around slowly as Scarlett entered the room. The Scarlett Reds filed in behind. Rebecca and Stacy, Scarlett's running buddies.

"Shouldn't you be in your first class by now, Smartie?" Scarlett asked.

"Maybe she's looking for the clothes she left lying around," Stacy piled on.

"Clothes?" Scarlett folded her arms. "You mean those rags we threw away?"

"Yeah, those."

"I wouldn't wear those to sweat in!" They both laughed.

Then, Rebecca, feeling left out, suddenly lunged forward and shoved me back a step, toward the stairs. "Go and get your stupid clothes already, I'm tired of looking at you!"

I steadied myself. My heavy backpack pulled me off-balance, and I grabbed on to the banister. Stacy lunged at me again and reached her hand toward me. I batted her hand away hard.

Then Scarlett said, "Did you just hit my friend, you bitch?" She stepped forward and slapped me across the face, hard enough to draw blood. I let go of the banister and slapped her right back.

I never saw the punch coming. The weight of the backpack on my shoulder made me stagger. I almost caught myself until Stacy shoved me down the stairs. I hit the edge of every stair, all the way to the bottom. Scarlett and the Scarlett Reds stood at the top, hooting and high-fiving, but I only saw it in little jerks of motion, freeze-frames.

I skidded to a stop at the bottom, my head hit the wall, and everything went black. And in the darkness, Scarlett whispered in a low and vicious voice, "Tonight. You'll get what's coming to you, freak. I'm going to make sure."

**That's all! Please tell me what you guys think about this new story. I'll update sometime in the next two weeks.**

**-Anna**


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